Beautifully Preserved: A Guide To Making The Most Of Your Fruits This Year
If you’re a keen gardener, you may have noticed your trees and shrubs beginning to become laden with ripening berries and fruits at this time of the year. Every year, there is a rush to get all the fruit processed and preserved; the fruit goes off too quickly to be eaten, so it has to be carefully stored and preserved until a time when it can be eaten.
One popular method of preserving the fruit and veg is by making jellies, jams, preserves, chutneys and pickles. These are delicious when eaten with cheese, in sandwiches or by incorporating them into cooked dishes.
By using your homegrown fruit and veg in jams, jellies, and chutneys, you can make your harvest last you throughout the long, cold winter months. So why not sweeten your palette with a few of our favourite preserve recipes?
A History Of Preserve-Making
The history of preserve-making is older than you might think. While many of us associate jam with the quintessentially British cream tea, it actually dates back to the Stone Age in the Middle East, when they would add fruits and vegetables to honey or sugar to preserve them.
The first written recipe for jam was transcribed in the first cookbook known to history: The Art Of Cooking (De Re Coquinaria), written by Marcus Gavius Apicius from the 4th Century AD.
Jams, Jellies, And Chutneys: What’s The Difference?
There are three types of preserved fruit spread which might initially appear quite similar; jams, jellies, chutneys and pickles.
All are made with preserved fruit and vegetables, but have different ingredients and methods of making them:
– A jam is fruit that is preserved in sugar or honey, and which includes the flesh and (edible) seeds of the fruit. It is typically thickened using pectin, a substance naturally occurring in fruit.
– A jelly is fruit juice that has been thickened to a spreadable consistency, usually using gelatine.
– A chutney is chopped fruit or vegetables that have been preserved with sugar, vinegar and spices. Chutneys are popular in Indian cuisine, as well as African and Caribbean cooking.
Jams and jellies are typically regarded as sweet dishes, whereas chutneys are usually savoury and served with curries, spicy dishes or cheese. There are exceptions to the rule however; for example, chilli jam is a savoury jam, while kumquat chutney is a dessert chutney.
The Preparation
When making preserves, the most important step to prevent your fruit from going off is sterilising the jars. If the jars are not sterilised, any residual bacteria or fungi on the jars will breed and form colonies, rendering your jam, jelly, or chutney inedible. The easiest way to sterilise your jars is by boiling them in a pot of water for ten minutes.
The Recipes
Simple Elderberry Jam
Elderberries are a great choice for a simple jam because they are naturally high in pectin, the setting agent which gives jam its distinctive consistency. In this recipe, you don’t need to add any more pectin – just the fruits from your foraging trip or back garden! The flavour of elderberries also makes a sophisticated and exciting change to the usual strawberry jam.
Ingredients:
1kg elderberries
800g sugar (granulated or caster works well)
1 tbsp of lemon juice
- De-stem the berries and discard any leaf or stalk.
- Put the berries in a large saucepan. Using a potato masher, crush the berries lightly.
- Combine with the sugar and lemon juice, and bring to a low simmer, stirring continuously.
- Cook for 20 minutes. Discard any froth that rises to the top.
- Check the consistency of the jam on a cool plate.
- When you are happy with the thickness, portion the jam into sterilised jars.
Crab Apple And Ginger Jelly
The vintage British classic gets a spicy revamp with this updated recipe. Perfect with a mature Cheddar cheese.
Ingredients:
1.5 kg crab apples
Zest of 1 lemon, shredded
1 cinnamon stick
3cm ginger
Star anise (2pcs – optional)
450g sugar for each pint of juice
- Wash and prepare the crab apples, cutting away any bits that have browned or gone bad. Add to a large saucepan or jam-making pan with lemon zest, spices, and 1.2L of water. Simmer for 30-35 minutes, or until the apples go soft.
- Allow to cool. Strain the apples through muslin overnight to remove the juice.
- Add the juice to the pan with enough sugar for the amount of liquid. Bring to the boil and stir until the sugar has dissolved. When it has boiled for about 30 seconds, reduce the heat and cook for a further ten minutes.
- Check the consistency of the jelly.
- When you are happy with the consistency of the jelly, portion it into 3 jam jars.
Plum And Chilli Chutney
This chutney is deep in flavour with a kick of chilli – the perfect balance of spicy and sweet to accompany cheese or South-East Asian flavours.
Ingredients:
1 red onion
1 red chilli
0.5 kg plums
175g brown sugar
50ml rice vinegar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
0.5 inch ginger
2 cloves garlic
100ml red wine
- Remove the stones from the plums and roughly chop. Macerate in a bowl with sugar overnight. By the morning, the fruit should be soft and easily broken up.
- Blend all ingredients except the plums in a food processor. Heat in a saucepan over medium heat until it reaches a boil. Add the plums and sugar, and keep boiling until the fruit is beginning to melt (roughly 20 minutes). Season to taste.
- Divide into sterilised jam jars. Leave to rest for 3 weeks before serving.
Have fun making some jam-azing jams!
Article by Caterquip
